A first-of-its-kind facility, a new Danish Neuroscience Center in Aarhus, Denmark designed by BIG, will combine psychiatry and neuroscience under one roof. The recently announced project will house groundbreaking science and treatment of physical and mental brain diseases, spinal cord, and nervous systems.
The center’s design for Aarhus University Hospital mimics the gyrification of the human brain to utilize the limited site area most efficiently while creating synergies between the different disciplines within the hospital. Established in 2009, The Danish Neuroscience Center (DNC) has become a world-class research and treatment facility for understanding and treating the brain. The new building is scheduled to open in 2026. It will connect directly with the existing campus of Aarhus University Hospital and seeks to bolster the hospital’s approach combining healthcare, education, and scientific research.
“The building must—like the brain—function as a space for knowledge sharing that creates new connections, contexts and common understandings,” said Jens Christian Hedemann Sørensen, Professor of neurosurgery and chairman of DNC, in news release. “We want to disrupt the way of thinking of the physical and mental brain diseases as isolated quantities. There will be a connection to the outside world through public access to experience centers, exhibitions, and lectures in our incredible brain house. It will be a unique and iconic building that I look forward to following every step of the way.”
Patients and visitors will access the building through a spacious reception area connected to a large open atrium at the center of the building. The atrium will serve as an experience center—an interactive public exhibition and presentation area where the visitors can learn about the hospital’s latest research and findings. From there, visitors can head directly to one of the clinics upstairs or enjoy the café and a public green courtyard at ground level.
Each department—neurology, nuclear medicine, headache clinic, and psychiatry—will have its own distinct space and program functions. To avoid separation and fragmentation between disciplines, BIG plans to organize them by the functions they have in common. This will encourage crossbreeding between the different research groups that can help fuel inspiration, innovation, and creativity.
Natural materials such as wood and brick, used in other buildings at the campus will be used throughout the building to provide a comforting atmosphere to patients and guests. The red concrete exterior will blend with the existing brick buildings and bring warmth to spaces in contrast to the usual sanitized white environment of hospitals.
All office areas will be naturally ventilated, and every floor will have access to an outdoor terrace. A stretched metal window mesh will reduce glare in workspaces, filtering light to provide each office, laboratory, or examination room with pleasing natural illumination.
Client: Aarhus University Hospital, Skejby, Aarhus, Denmark
Architect of record: Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)
Related Stories
Projects | Mar 10, 2022
Fort Worth’s Hotel Revel adds mixed-use spaces to creative neighborhood
Hotel Revel, a new mixed-use building in the Near Southside section of Fort Worth, Texas, will boost the vibrancy of the eclectic neighborhood.
Projects | Mar 10, 2022
Optometrist office takes new approach to ‘doc-in-a-box’ design
In recent decades, franchises have taken over the optometry services and optical sales market. This trend has spawned a commodity-type approach to design of office and retail sales space.
Projects | Mar 9, 2022
New 243-unit luxury apartment community opens in St. Paul, Minn.
Waterford Bay, a four-story, 243-unit luxury multifamily development recently opened in St. Paul, Minn.
Projects | Mar 9, 2022
Verizon Media’s New York studios serve multiple digital brands
Verizon Media, a division of Verizon Communications, Inc., embarked on a project to create a space to house multiple digital brands in Manhattan. The 21,700 sf space at 770 Broadway contains two broadcast studios and control rooms used by Verizon Media’s ecosystem of digital brands such as Yahoo, TechCrunch, HuffPost, RYOT, and MAKERS.
Mass Timber | Mar 8, 2022
Heavy timber office and boutique residential building breaks ground in Austin
T3 Eastside, a heavy timber office and boutique residential building, recently broke ground in Austin, Texas.
Performing Arts Centers | Mar 8, 2022
Cincinnati Ballet’s new center embodies the idea that dance is for everyone
Cincinnati Ballet had become a victim of its own success, according to company president and CEO Scott Altman. “We were bursting at the seams in our old building. We had simply outgrown the facility,” Altman told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Projects | Mar 8, 2022
A scalable EV charging solution
Resembling a fueling station, VersiCharge XL—a new electric vehicle (EV) charging concept structure—can charge large numbers of EVs in outdoor areas ranging from small office building parking lots to last-mile logistics hubs to stadium parking lots.
University Buildings | Mar 7, 2022
A new facility can offer thousands of equine therapy sessions a year
At its new Spur campus in Denver, Colorado State University (CSU) will bring its expertise to the public by offering free educational experiences to visitors of all ages. Spur’s three buildings—Hydro, Terra, and Vida—will focus, respectively, on water, earth, and life.
Projects | Mar 7, 2022
An Atlanta office promotes employee well-being
For its new Atlanta office, New Relic, a California-based technology company that develops cloud-based software, wanted to keep employee health and wellness at the fore. It also wanted the workspace design to bolster productivity as well as employee engagement and retention.
Projects | Mar 4, 2022
Buro Happold tapped for Tucson’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan
The winning proposal from Buro Happold combines establishing climate solutions, while involving the communities in effect.